The Vascular Response to Consumption of Different Sugar Types in Adolescents

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of mortality and the underlying atherosclerotic disease process which precedes overt CVD originates in youth. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are associated with CVD risk factors in youth and SSB intake is a key contributor to added dietary sugar intake in teenagers in the United Kingdom. Endothelial dysfunction is a prerequisite for atherosclerosis and previous research demonstrates that SSB consumption acutely impairs endothelial function. However, these studies have predominantly focused on adult populations, or have used a glucose bolus which is not representative of the sugar found in commercially available SSBs. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the influence of different dietary sugars found in SSBs on macrovascular and microvascular outcomes and then observe whether the sugar type influences the cardiometabolic responses to a subsequent test meal challenge. This thesis also determined the reliability of measures for the assessment of macrovascular (flow-mediated dilation; FMD) and microvascular (laser Doppler flowmetry) function. Chapter 4: Assessed the within-day and between day reliability of the simultaneous assessment of macrovascular and microvascular function. The within-day and between-day typical error expressed as a coefficient of variation were as follows: FMD, 7.2% and 8.0%; peak reactive hyperaemia (PRH), 24.5% and 26.1%. These results determined that the reliability of outcomes in this study were consistent with existing paediatric data. Chapter 5: There was a large (ηp2=0.27) but not significant (P=0.06) interaction effect for FMD. There was a non-significant difference between the sucrose and control trials for FMD at 1 hour post drink consumption (P=0.06) and 3 hours post test meal consumption (P=0.09) but there was a medium effect at both times with effect sizes of 0.77 and 0.65, respectively, where FMD increased following sucrose consumption. PRH increased 1 hour post drink consumption in the fructose (P=0.01), glucose (P=0.04) and sucrose trials (P=0.04) when compared to control. PRH was greater in the fructose trial when compared to the control (P=0.03), glucose (P=0.01) and sucrose (P=0.02) trials. These findings suggest that SSB intake acutely improves macro- and micro- vascular function in adolescents. Overall, these findings provide important information in regards to the effects of SSBs on macrovascular and microvascular function in adolescents

Semi-Implicit finite-difference methods to study the spin-orbit and coherently coupled spinor Bose-Einstein condensates

We develop time-splitting finite difference methods, using implicit Backward-Euler and semi-implicit Crank-Nicolson discretization schemes, to study the spin-orbit coupled spinor Bose Einstein condensates with coherent coupling in quasi-one and quasi-two-dimensional traps. The split equations involving kinetic energy and spin-orbit coupling operators are solved using either time-implicit Backward-Euler or semi-implicit Crank-Nicolson methods. We explicitly develop the method for pseudospin-1/2, spin-1, and spin-2 condensates. The results for ground states obtained with time-splitting Backward-Euler and Crank-Nicolson methods are in excellent agreement with time-splitting Fourier spectral method which is one of the popular methods to solve the mean-field models for spin-orbit coupled spinor condensates. We confirm the emergence of different phases in spin-orbit coupled pseudospin-1/2, spin-1, and spin-2 condensates with coherent coupling

Making Single-Source Precursors of Ternary Semiconductors

A synthesis route has been developed for the commercial manufacture of single- source precursors of chalcopyrite semiconductor absorber layers of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells. A closely related class of single-source precursors of these semiconductors, and their synthesis routes, were reported in "Improved Single-Source Precursors for Solar-Cell Absorbers" (LEW-17445-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 56. The present synthesis route is better suited to commercialization because it is simpler and involves the use of commercially available agents, yet offers the flexibility needed for synthesis of a variety of precursors. A single-source precursor of the type of interest here is denoted by the general formula L2M'(mu-ER)2M(ER)2, where L signifies a Lewis base; M signifies Al, In, or Ga; M' signifies Ag or Cu; R signifies an alkyl, aryl, silyl, or perfluorocarbon group; E signifies O, S, Se, or Te; and mu signifies a bridging ligand. This compound can be synthesized in a "one-pot" procedure from ingredients that are readily available from almost any chemical supplier. In a demonstration, the following synthesis was performed: Under anaerobic conditions, InCl3 was reacted with sodium ethanethiolate in methanol in a 1:4 molar ratio to afford the ionic stable intermediate compound Na+[In(SEt)4]- (where Et signifies ethyl group). After approximately 15 minutes, a heterogeneous solution of CuCl and the Lewis base PPh3 (where Ph signifies phenyl) in a 1:2 ratio in a mixture of CH3CN and CH2Cl2 was added directly to the freshly prepared Na+[In(SEt)4]-. After 24 hours, the reaction was essentially complete. The methanolic solution was concentrated, then the product was extracted with CH2Cl2, then the product was washed with dry ether and pentane. The product in its final form was a creamy white solid. Spectroscopic and elemental analysis confirmed that the product was (PPh3)2Cu(mu-SEt)2In(mu-SEt)2, which is known to be a precursor of the ternary semiconductor CuInS2

Solution-based self-aligned hybrid organic/metal-oxide complementary logic with megahertz operation

We have developed a novel solution-based integration scheme featuring organic and metal-oxide semiconductors with a polymeric gate dielectric. The integration relies on a facile subtractive patterning technique for the semiconductors, which, through the selection of an appropriate etch stopper, leads to ideal transistor performance. We utilized this novel integration scheme to fabricate self-aligned transistors and logic circuits with a high-mobility p-type conjugated polymer and an n-type amorphous oxide semiconductor, along with a composite polymeric gate dielectric, all solution-deposited by spin coating. The resulting complementary logic gates are capable of rail-to-rail transitions, low-voltage operation down to a 3.5 V power supply, and ample noise margins. Thanks to the self-aligned-gate approach and the state-of-the-art balanced mobilities of the selected semiconductors, our logic gates achieve megahertz operation, thus demonstrating the strength of our hybrid integration scheme.We gratefully acknowledge Mike Hurhangee and Iain McCulloch of Imperial College for supplying the IDT-BT conjugated polymer. We also acknowledge financial support from the European Commission through the POINTS project (FP7-NMP- 2010-Small-4).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available via Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119915000956

FORTRESS II: FORTRAN programs for solving coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations for spin-orbit coupled spin-2 Bose-Einstein condensate

We provide here a set of three OpenMP parallelized FORTRAN 90/95 programs to compute the ground states and the dynamics of trapped spin-2 Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with anisotropic spin-orbit (SO) coupling by solving a set of five coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations using a time-splitting Fourier spectral method. Depending on the nature of the problem, without any loss of generality, we have employed the Cartesian grid spanning either three-, two-, or one-dimensional space for numerical discretization. To illustrate the veracity of the package, wherever feasible, we have compared the numerical ground state solutions of the full mean-field model with those from the simplified scalar models. The two set of results show excellent agreement, in particular, through the equilibrium density profiles, energies and chemical potentials of the ground-states. We have also presented test results for OpenMP performance parameters like speedup and the efficiency of the three codes

Producing Quantum Dots by Spray Pyrolysis

An improved process for making nanocrystallites, commonly denoted quantum dots (QDs), is based on spray pyrolysis. Unlike the process used heretofore, the improved process is amenable to mass production of either passivated or non-passivated QDs, with computer control to ensure near uniformity of size

The Architecture of Wharves: Reimagining Portland's Working Waterfront for the Future

A New England city composed of rich history, a strong cultural identity, and diverse groups of people; Portland, Maine is acknowledged as a city for the people. The wharves along the harbor’s edge of the city create an important symbolic reminder within the city of the centuries of fishing and trading that supported the state of Maine. As the population of the city grew over time, the wharves became disconnected with the expansion of vehicular infrastructure. This thesis explores the cultural identity of Portland’s waterfront edge and the possibility of reconnecting the flourishing waterfront industries with the urban fabric through sustainability, master planning techniques and technological advancements that will address current environmental issues. This thesis further explores the pedestrian experience in the city by proposing an architecture that will enhance these experiences through stronger connections with local culture and communities

A quality- by- design approach for the implementation of a manufacturing license change using a qualified scale- down process model

Influenza vaccines are required to be re formulated every year to account for antigenic drift with recommendations coordinated by the World Health Organisation. This results in a short development cycle of only six months to be able to choose and characterise a suitable reassortant of a recommended strain and proceed to commercial manufacturing of the influenza antigen and vaccine product. Due to the ongoing healthcare crisis brought about the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for influenza vaccines has increased rapidly requiring vaccine manufacturers to be able to meet this demand and be the first to market in the season. This has necessitated the implementation of novel approaches to increase antigen and vaccine product yield in a rapid and yet robust process development. One of the potential yield improvements was the introduction of an optimised quantity of Hydrocortisone solution in the egg-based platform process at the inoculum stage for the Influenza A strains, which was already introduced and in use for Influenza B strains. In this presentation, we demonstrate the implementation of a scale-down modelling to support process changes and their subsequent regulatory approval. To facilitate the implementation of this change to the manufacturing license with various regulatory bodies, we devised a protocol to produce representative antigen batches at scale-down (i.e., 1% scale from a qualified area to the commercial batches) at higher and lower Hydrocortisone input on a variety of Influenza A strains. A total of 11 batches executed with various hydrocortisone inputs and Influenza A seasonal strains showed that the resulting antigen met internal drug substance batch release specifications and showed yield increase of 9-24% across various seasonal Influenza A strains, which could potentially be higher at the commercial scale. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

Making Ternary Quantum Dots From Single-Source Precursors

A process has been devised for making ternary (specifically, CuInS2) nanocrystals for use as quantum dots (QDs) in a contemplated next generation of high-efficiency solar photovoltaic cells. The process parameters can be chosen to tailor the sizes (and, thus, the absorption and emission spectra) of the QDs